[Emmatread]

Hi all,

Bit of a medical question, or two!- I have tried to ask the vet but they are now away for the weekend.

We currently have 4 ewes (born march 2016, not yet put into lamb) and one has developed a slight irregular cough, I was wondering if anyone could have any idea as to what this could be? They were last wormed in July and her faeces, eating and temperament is all normal.

Also, I have just realised they missed their annual booster that was due in the autumn (I know, we're awful people  ). Can they just be given the booster now or, like dogs/cats, do they need to restart the "course?"

Any info/advice will be well received

[TheSmilingSheep]

Hello there,
Well, of course you are very very bad, and no-one else has ever missed a booster !!!
You wrote that the ewes were born March 2016.... if so, then they should have had two lots of injections in or around May and June, so their booster would not be due until summer of this year....
If they've never had a set of vaccinations then obv you want to start asap with the two shots, four weeks apart.  If they've missed an annual booster, then personally I would start the two shots again now...
With our ewe lambs, once they actually start lambing themselves it seems to me that one year they will get their booster earlier than usual, since they will have gone from annual 'lamb' shots in May/June to annual 'in lamb' shots around February / March...(does that make sense?)...
(btw, our vets have said the annual booster for cats (don't know about dogs) actually would last about 15 months...  so who knows, maybe the same with ovines!)

As for the cough - could be something or nothing.... ours will have a good cough every now and then...I'm only concerned if the same one has one repeatedly over a couple of days...
Coughing can be a symptom of lung worm - and is treated with most usual wormers ...
If it were my sheep and I became v worried but couldn't get hold of the vet then I'd give a shot of ab just in case there's a respiratory infection brewing...

good luck! 

[Emmatread]

Hello there,
Well, of course you are very very bad, and no-one else has ever missed a booster !!!
You wrote that the ewes were born March 2016.... if so, then they should have had two lots of injections in or around May and June, so their booster would not be due until summer of this year....
If they've never had a set of vaccinations then obv you want to start asap with the two shots, four weeks apart.  If they've missed an annual booster, then personally I would start the two shots again now...
With our ewe lambs, once they actually start lambing themselves it seems to me that one year they will get their booster earlier than usual, since they will have gone from annual 'lamb' shots in May/June to annual 'in lamb' shots around February / March...(does that make sense?)...
(btw, our vets have said the annual booster for cats (don't know about dogs) actually would last about 15 months...  so who knows, maybe the same with ovines!)

As for the cough - could be something or nothing.... ours will have a good cough every now and then...I'm only concerned if the same one has one repeatedly over a couple of days...
Coughing can be a symptom of lung worm - and is treated with most usual wormers ...
If it were my sheep and I became v worried but couldn't get hold of the vet then I'd give a shot of ab just in case there's a respiratory infection brewing...

good luck! 

Thanks for your advice - they definitely had both 'initial' jabs, I think the breeders autumn recommendation may have been the one certain people recommended 6 months after?

[BenBhoy]

Boost whenever.

Do you go Dr everytime you cough??

[Emmatread]

Ah very helpful.

And no, but I'm used to horses that are susceptible to respiratory problems and do need a long-term cough to be looked at.

[nimbusllama]

Hello there,
Well, of course you are very very bad, and no-one else has ever missed a booster !!!
You wrote that the ewes were born March 2016.... if so, then they should have had two lots of injections in or around May and June, so their booster would not be due until summer of this year....
If they've never had a set of vaccinations then obv you want to start asap with the two shots, four weeks apart.  If they've missed an annual booster, then personally I would start the two shots again now...
With our ewe lambs, once they actually start lambing themselves it seems to me that one year they will get their booster earlier than usual, since they will have gone from annual 'lamb' shots in May/June to annual 'in lamb' shots around February / March...(does that make sense?)...
(btw, our vets have said the annual booster for cats (don't know about dogs) actually would last about 15 months...  so who knows, maybe the same with ovines!)

As for the cough - could be something or nothing.... ours will have a good cough every now and then...I'm only concerned if the same one has one repeatedly over a couple of days...
Coughing can be a symptom of lung worm - and is treated with most usual wormers ...
If it were my sheep and I became v worried but couldn't get hold of the vet then I'd give a shot of ab just in case there's a respiratory infection brewing...
good luck! 

Thanks for your advice - they definitely had both 'initial' jabs, I think the breeders autumn recommendation may have been the one certain people recommended 6 months after?

Most vaccines have the recommendation that after the initial 2 jabs, they have an annual booster, so surely you haven't missed the date at all?

[Backinwellies]

If they are less than year old and had first 2 jabs they can't possibly have missed annual booster

[harmony]

I would get a FEC count done and see if you need to worm. Have you fluked?